Reviewed: The Magical Trio That Made My Damaged Hair Cashmere-Soft

When I was younger, I was obsessed with the story of Rumplestiltskin. One, because saying Rumplestiltskin out loud made me giggle, and two, because spinning straw into gold sounded like the best magical ability ever (clearly, I was not yet mature enough to realize flying or becoming invisible are much more useful).

As an adult, my fascination with the story had waned—up until a few weeks ago, when I experienced my own Rumplestiltskin-esque moment. My hair, which has always veered into dry, straw-like territory, despite the fact that I never heat style or even do much to it at all, suddenly transformed into soft, spun silk before my eyes. This is not an exaggeration. Well, it’s a slight exaggeration, but one that is justly used. This magical transformation was the result of—no, not a strange little man (thankfully?)—but rather a trio of products I am now never letting out of my sight: Kevin Murphy’s Repair.Me line. For those unschooled, Kevin Murphy is a botanical haircare line created by Australian hair guru Kevin Murphy (obviously). The brand is founded on a philosophy that you should treat your hair with the same care that you treat your skin. Their new Repair.Me trio, consisting of Wash (shampoo),Rinse (conditioner), and Re.Store (repairing treatment), was aptly named and created to—you guessed it—repair dry, damaged strands with nourishing superfood proteins that bind to the hair.

But first things first—can we talk about these cute blue bottles? They’re ergonomically designed to fit right in the palm of your hand, and they brought my shower situation from drab and boring to totally Instagrammable. Now onto the scent: The first thing you’ll notice after squeezing out the product is the sigh-worthy smell. Ingredients like pineapple fruit extract and papaya make it smell like a tropical vacation in a bottle, but not in a cheesy way. There’s a touch of musk or something more elegant that makes the scent totally intoxicating instead of predictable or cheap. If I could bottle it into a perfume, I would. (To anyone from the Kevin Murphy team who may be reading this, I ask: perfume oil? Just putting it out there.) The trio is meant to be used like this. The Wash and Rinse should be used together anytime you would normally shampoo and condition. Then, once or twice a week, sub in the Re.Store cleansing conditioning treatment in place of the Wash and Rinse. I will say this: I tried this method, and it didn’t exactly work for me. When I subbed in the Re.Store treatment in place of the shampoo and conditioner, my strands came out somewhat stringy and not quite clean-feeling. I gave it another chance, though, and decided to use the Wash first, then follow with the Re.Store—basically, subbing it in for the Rinse conditioner. And that is when the magic happened. My hair—rough, textured, and prone to drying to a shape resembling a frizzy poof-ball—somehow air-dried into soft, touchable waves. I braided my hair and left it in for a few minutes while it was almost dry, so that might explain the waves—but what about the “soft” part?! I had put nothing in my hair post-shower, and my strands looked like I had just gotten a haircut. And I’m not the only one who thought so. Literally, later that morning, a co-worker asked me if I had gotten my hair colored or cut because it looked “so pretty.” I continued using the Wash and Rinse, subbing in the Re.Store once a week, and marveled at the newly cashmere-soft state of my hair.

The final thing that convinced me that I had indeed stumbled across a fairytale-worthy trio of products occurred a few nights ago, when I arrived home from work and was greeted by my boyfriend at the door. “Your hair looks really nice,” he said immediately. Shocked and speechless, I simply stared at him. “It looks really, like, healthy or something.”

Annnnd mic drop.

Kevin Murphy products are sold at select salon retailers in the U.S. Click here to locate one near you so you can snatch up this hair-saving trio.

How do you bring your strands back to life? Tell me your favorite products below!